Crown

I could be wildly wrong here, but based on what I have seen from Winter testing, this is where I think the drivers are in terms of performance potential at the start of this season given the cars they are driving respectively:

Alonso (the complete driver in a very fast car - he's the guy to beat IMO)

Hamilton (because I don't think McLaren is quite as quick as Ferrari)

Schumacher (again, will be held back by the slightly lesser performance of Mercedes)

Vettel (again, will be limited by the performance of the Renault engine in the Red Bull)

Massa (not as consistent as Alonso - especially in the wet - plus needs to lead from the front - not good at making his way through the field during the race)

Button (unable to extract max performance if car isn't perfectly set up for a particular track & proved psychologically vulnerable in last part of 2009)

Webber (inconsistent, must step up a level & not keep looking for excuses)

Rosberg (inconsistent but will push Schumacher very close at times)

Barrichello (will surprise us on tracks suited to the Williams car)

Kubica (will extract max performance from the inferior Renault)

Hulkenberg (will surprise us - future World Championship potential here - one to watch)

Kobayashi (Sauber is fairly quick plus Kamui is a fearless fighter - he has real guts!)

Buemi (I expect him to make good progress this year plus Toro Rosso is quite quick)

De La Rosa (lacks ruthlessness - too much of a nice guy - and isn't an out and out racer)

Sutil (consistent - will plod round the track & deliver - but won't dazzle - but Force India isn't that slow this year so could surprise us sometimes)

Liuzzi (very inconsistent and makes too many careless mistakes)

Alguersuari (inconsistent & lacks experience leading to rookie errors)

Petrov (unknown quantity - quite good for a rookie in testing - but lacks race experience - a learning year for him)

Trulli (will be held back by a slow car but will extract maximum in qualification as usual but race pace usually disappoints)

Kovaleinen (again, will be held back by a slow car & just too inconsistent)

Glock (will extract good performance from a poor Virgin Racing car)

Senna (has potential but inexperienced and sadly driving an untested HRT car)

Chandhok (inexperienced and IMO will make rookie mistakes from being too eager)

Di Grassi (so far, hopelessly out of his depth in F1 - may not last the whole season)

Whether they actually end the season in these positions is anybody's guess  Crashes, rain, unreliability, team-mate discord, changing relative performance due to ongoing development of the cars, tyre change errors, strategy errors etc could mean it doesn't turn out this way

What do you guys think could be the outcome this season?

 
RT Moderator - 997.1 Carrera S GT Silver/Cocoa, -20mm/LSD, PSE, short shifter, SportDesign rims, Zuffenhausen collection

Well done easy!  Well thought of and meticulous!! 

I agree with you most of the way.  The only thing I would have done is to exchange Massa and Vettel, as even though Vettel is a better driver, Massa has the better car.

CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Hamilton (Lewis has the best package and has matured to early on clinch the title, Lewis is the guy to beat)

Massa (Extreely determined, fast package however mises out on the championship due to not being consistant)

Schumacher (Will be the talk of the season, jumps in a car, puts in on pole and wins several races, I agree that the Mercedes will be on it's best next season)

Button (His smooth driving suits the car however Jens cannot beat Lewis shear speed)

Alonso (Struggling with the ferrari, becomes overheated, fights with massa, struggling to win races)

Vettel (he will be a future star, will the car give him the opportunity this year.........doubt full)

Webber (Last year in F1, not able to surpas vettel, good season but no cigar)

Rosberg (in a difficult position, I agree with James Allen, if he is faster than Schumi, Schumi will be past it, not Rosberg being fast)

Barrichello (Extremely determined to do well, I love the guy and really want him to do well, going to be a challenge though, I don't think it will be his last season)

Sutil (Force India will be fast in some races and not getting anywhere in others, hope for the best , will be in mid grid positions)

Kubica (Will be struggling with the Renault, performance is questionable --> car )

Glock (will surprise people in the Virgin Racing car, everthing Richard touches turns into gold (almost everything) watch this space:-)

Hulkenberg (Don't know him)

Kobayashi (Don't know him)

Buemi (Year he has to proof himself in a questionable car.....)

De La Rosa (I agree too much of a nice guy, will be struggling, last season as well)

Liuzzi (Need to learn alot, wandering about he capability)

Alguersuari (Don't know the guy well)

Petrov Don't know the guy

Trulli (His last season, this guys is past it, sorry)

Kovaleinen (Will not be able to get max out of the car, will get frustrated, will see him changing cars mid season)

Senna (will be struggling to live up to his perceived performance, family credentials)

Chandhok (Too eager, will make lots of mistakes, fingers crossed not taking anybody out everytime)

Di Grassi (Indeed, won't have hopes for the guys, will not last the season)

OK my two cents  !!!

I have only one prediction:
Schumacher will make an incredible comeback.
I never liked the guy´s demeanor (too slick/PC for me off track and too aggressive on track) - but there is no denying that he is a magician both in the car and when it comes to building a team and make everything work together.
Couple that talent with what you can be sure will be a 200% dedication to winning.
He´s not there to perform a swan song or receive a lifetime achievement award. 
He´s there to take the 8th championship, and I think anything less is a failure in his book.

That´s why I believe he will be the driver to beat this season.

 My podium prediction for Bahrein..

1º Alonso

2º Hamilton

3º Webber

;)

Dr. Phil:

I have only one prediction:
Schumacher will make an incredible comeback.

As long as Alonso will be world champion in the end, I don't care.
 

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

Out of all the latest years this season is the easiest to predict of all, there is a particular constellation of circumstances that were not present in the past 5 years that have now all come together this year especially in terms of a particular driver & car combo.

On one side you have a very reliable and consistent driver, who is good in all aspects including setup, knows how to manage race paces, can extract the max of a car in the race independant of the conditions of the car, can be very fast in dry or rain, day or night. And on the other you have a like minded team (like minded to this driver that is) who is the most powerful team in F1 with the most resources and potential, who seems like from pre-season testing that has once again one of the fastest if not the fastest and, and very consistent car at that. Put those two together for the first time in five years and its a done deal this season.

The question is not who is going to win but rather by which GP will he be already mathematically champion due to the point lead, and also who of a remaining group of 3-4 will be second

--

Carlos from Spain:

 

The question is not who is going to win but rather by which GP will he be already mathematically champion due to the point lead, and also who of a remaining group of 3-4 will be second

Honestly, I do not share that opinon and even have a hard time who you are referring to.

Alonso, Hamilton and Schumacher are all equipped with a car that, in theory, can win the championship. All three are as fast, consistent and versatile that it will be additional things that will make the difference. In fact, as strong as they are, their respective teammates do have a chance to win the championship as well. From all three teams, the Ferrari teammates will probably be closest together in terms of performance, Rosberg has a significant (psychological) burden next to the 7-time world champion just as Button next to the well established Hamilton at McLaren. Apart from that, we haven´t taken into account what performance those runner-ups will present, such as Red Bull, Williams or Renault.

So to me, this season is far less predictable but we can expect, apart from testing results, McLaren and Ferrari will be in promising shape due to their early-stage development focus on this year´s car.

For me its as sure thing as were Schumi's last Championship titles with Ferarri, for the very same reasons. But as always, we will have to wait and see

1. Schumi

2. Hamilton

3. Vettel

Alonso + Button will disappoint due to sheer competitiveness of the pack in general. I expect many teams to snatch points from each other, making the Constructors title a real close one. Drivers, Schuamcher for the win! 

indeed shifting is ancient technology - so is a fuel burning engine..  I happen to like both :) 
_____________________________________________________________________
1984 BMW 323i 5spd 2.3L 141 hp (105 kW) More door. Black on black (parting out) 
1986 BMW 325e 5spd 2.7L 121 hp (172 lb·ft) Le Mans Blau on Tan leather.
1986 BMW 325is 5spd 2.5L 168 hp (164 lb-ft) White on Tan leather (parted out) 
2005 Ford Focus S, 5spd 2.0L 136 hp (120lb-ft) CD silver on grey (sold)
1986 Porsche 944, 5spd 2.5L 150 hp (168lb-ft) champagne gold on grown leather. (sold)

Carlos from Spain:

we will have to wait and see

OMG, stop speculating and FAST FORWARD to the track 

Vettel will be strong, he's the runner up and therefore will probably take more risks, that might be his benefit for the start of the season and maybe he's going to be a surprise winner.

Other than that, I guess Hamilton and Button will stand in each others way, leaving the drivers championship to a consistent but slower Schumacher.

Carlos from Spain:

Out of all the latest years this season is the easiest to predict of all, there is a particular constellation of circumstances that were not present in the past 5 years that have now all come together this year especially in terms of a particular driver & car combo.

On one side you have a very reliable and consistent driver, who is good in all aspects including setup, knows how to manage race paces, can extract the max of a car in the race independant of the conditions of the car, can be very fast in dry or rain, day or night. And on the other you have a like minded team (like minded to this driver that is) who is the most powerful team in F1 with the most resources and potential, who seems like from pre-season testing that has once again one of the fastest if not the fastest and, and very consistent car at that. Put those two together for the first time in five years and its a done deal this season.

The question is not who is going to win but rather by which GP will he be already mathematically champion due to the point lead, and also who of a remaining group of 3-4 will be second

--

Carlos, who are you talking about?
 

I know just one thing-Schumi wont be a Champion in the end.

Why?

Competition is as good as possible this year.

KresoF1:

I know just one thing-Schumi wont be a Champion in the end.

Italy will appreciate that.

--
 

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

I think the Red Bulls will be faster. The Renault engine might not be the strongest but it seems that they are fuel efficient. So either less fuel and hence less weight or they can go fuel steam the entire race when others have to cut revs towards the end.

I also think that Nico will be faster than Schumi until Mercedes manages to dial out the understeer. Schumi no liking understeering cars.

AND I am looking forward to the first wet race!

997 GT2 (GT3 RS on order), 987 Boxster S PDK, Audi S5, KTM Superduke 990

Dr. Phil:

Carlos from Spain:

Out of all the latest years this season is the easiest to predict of all, there is a particular constellation of circumstances that were not present in the past 5 years that have now all come together this year especially in terms of a particular driver & car combo.

On one side you have a very reliable and consistent driver, who is good in all aspects including setup, knows how to manage race paces, can extract the max of a car in the race independant of the conditions of the car, can be very fast in dry or rain, day or night. And on the other you have a like minded team (like minded to this driver that is) who is the most powerful team in F1 with the most resources and potential, who seems like from pre-season testing that has once again one of the fastest if not the fastest and, and very consistent car at that. Put those two together for the first time in five years and its a done deal this season.

The question is not who is going to win but rather by which GP will he be already mathematically champion due to the point lead, and also who of a remaining group of 3-4 will be second

--

Carlos, who are you talking about?
 

Alonso , I' m sure  Carlo's patriotic fiber must be way up there with the potential Alonso has this year

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Gnil:

Dr. Phil:

Carlos from Spain:

Out of all the latest years this season is the easiest to predict of all, there is a particular constellation of circumstances that were not present in the past 5 years that have now all come together this year especially in terms of a particular driver & car combo.

On one side you have a very reliable and consistent driver, who is good in all aspects including setup, knows how to manage race paces, can extract the max of a car in the race independant of the conditions of the car, can be very fast in dry or rain, day or night. And on the other you have a like minded team (like minded to this driver that is) who is the most powerful team in F1 with the most resources and potential, who seems like from pre-season testing that has once again one of the fastest if not the fastest and, and very consistent car at that. Put those two together for the first time in five years and its a done deal this season.

The question is not who is going to win but rather by which GP will he be already mathematically champion due to the point lead, and also who of a remaining group of 3-4 will be second

--

Carlos, who are you talking about?
 

Alonso , I' m sure  Carlo's patriotic fiber must be way up there with the potential Alonso has this year

It's obvious, Ferrari and Alonso together  = Game Over

I thought it was pretty obvious Carlos.

If Alonso gets the team around him and the Ferrari's lap times are as consistent as they seem to be... look out!

I think the key is consistency. There is no other driver that is as consistent as Alonso, thats what gave him his two titles on board a Renault against the McLarens and Ferraris. The only other driver that is like Alosno is Schumy, but frankly, he is not only 41 now but also he has been out of an F1 car for two years and F1 is not like riding a bicycle. He lost to Alonso in his last two years, and trying again after being away from F1 definately will not play in his favour this time around, and now Alonso is on the Ferrari on top of it.

And now Ferrari seems to have a good car, it doesn't even need to be the fastest as long as is just as fast as the others, and specially reliable, thats the only big question IMO. Alonso has always played the dwonlplaying card when asked about the new season, the next race, the car, etc but this time he can't even help showing a big smile when asked... that says a lot about the Ferrari of this year, and he is psyched for this season, and I expect with a lot of drive to show everyone after not being able to compete for a title in the last three years. Must of been so frustrating, though I think he has matured quite a bit from it as he does not seem like the Alonso of 5 years ago.

We have seen what has happened in the past when you mixed a Ferrari Team when in good form and an all-round driver like Alonso = Shumi's walking through jis last championship titles.

Aaaanyway, Bahrain will shed some light and tyo what to expect from this season

OAB:

I think the Red Bulls will be faster. The Renault engine might not be the strongest but it seems that they are fuel efficient. So either less fuel and hence less weight or they can go fuel steam the entire race when others have to cut revs towards the end.

I also think that Nico will be faster than Schumi until Mercedes manages to dial out the understeer. Schumi no liking understeering cars.

AND I am looking forward to the first wet race!

 On a wet race, I'l probably get a heart attack, can't wait!